Judge dismisses former disinformation board chief's defamation lawsuit against Fox News

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which was brought by former Homeland Security Disinformation Governance Board head Nina Jankowicz. 

The lawsuit, which was filed last year, accused Fox News of conducting a "malicious campaign of destruction" against Jankowicz because it allegedly helped with their viewership, and claimed the outlet's attacks had led to threats of violence and other online attacks against Jankowicz after she became the director of the short-lived Disinformation Governance Board.

The judge claimed that 36 of Jankowicz's 37 claims were about the discontinued disinformation board, which was formed to counter "disinformation" the Department of Homeland Security believed was coming Russia, and not about Jankowicz herself, the Associated Press reported.

The judge ruled the last allegation was factual and accurate because the statement contained wording from the board's own charter. The judge determined that the last statement also referred the board, despite containing a photo of Jancowicz along with the comment.

“This was a politically motivated lawsuit aimed at silencing free speech and we are pleased with the court’s decision to protect the First Amendment,” Fox News said in a statement.

Jankowicz was heavily mocked shortly after her appointment for claiming that first son Hunter Biden's laptop was Russian disinformation, former President  Donald Trump had "ties to the Kremlin," and that the discredited Steele dossier was actually true. Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed he didn't know she had made the controversial assertions when she was hired.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.